Railway rail



Feb. 28, 1928.

F. c. M LEAN ET AL RAILWAY RAIL Filed Sept. 10. 1926 Patented Feb. as, 19 2.

PATNT;

FR DERICK CLIFTON-MOLEAN AND JOHN richer), or HAMILTON, NEW-ZEALAND.

Q RAILWAY RAIL.

Application filed September 10, 1926, serial m. 134,666,,and in New Zealand Jul 27, 1926.

This invention relates to the rails used generally in the construction of railway.

present form of squareended and buttjoined rails, with the many disadvantages relating thereto. These disadvantages are concerned with the need for the use of fish plates in effecting a joint, and the constant care and attention necessary to keep-them tight, and more especially are concerned with the difliculty in maintaining the two rail ends at auniforni level and with the break.

caused in the continuity of the running surface' which leads to discomfort, bumping, and noise in the travel of the rolling stock upon theline. 7

In the present invention each rail is made of cross sectional shape so that the rail headtapers in width from the middle of the rail.

out to each end both tapers being on thesame side ofthe head so that the other side is uni-, formly' flat. These rails are adapted to be laid so that'each rail for half its-length overlaps thenext rail, the uniform edges'of the two rails being disposed on respectively opposite sides and the tapered edgesbeingso made that all through the len thsof therails a uniform width of rail hea .is formed.

- Each rail is so constructed. as -to -its flange firm base for the rails when resting on the sleepers. I v

The overlapping rail endsare secured directly together by means of bolts passing transversely through them and in the fitting of which provision is made for the usual expansion and contraction of the rails.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which v Figure 1 is a plan of one of the rails. Figure 2 is a plan of a number of the rails laid end to end and oined in accordance with this invention.

Figure 3 is a side elevation, on an enlarged scale of the joining ends of the rail.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross sectional elevation on the line 4-4: of Figure 2.

rail flange base or elevated to a level just above the level of a low level ledge to provide for one ledge resting on theother when 1 two ledges thus disposed are. arranged to overlap. a a V The head A, in this invention, is on one side of the stem B made with a: uniformside face, but on the other side, andthe side. corresponding with that on whichth'eledge D extends, is made to -in'clinelaterally inward, from the middle'of the rail out to each end thereof, so that the rail head from its maxi-V. mum width at the middle, tapers ofi'to a fine edge at each end, whereitsrwidth is made unlform with the thickness of the stem, the thickness of which is correspondingly tapereds The said maximum and minimum widths of the rail head are made to aggre gate a full normal widthof. rail head The surface of the taperedextremity also is made slightly lower than'the rest. i i

A: rail thus made. is therefore adapted to be arranged in line with twoother rails similarly made so that-itshead is-overlapped o from both ends to, the middle by the .respec: tive halves of the othe'r'two rails when such other rails have the sides reversed relatively to the middle rail. This manner of arranging the rails in shown in the drawings and provides that a rail tread is formed con- 7 tinuously of uniform width and made up of the overlapping halves of the rail lengths so that the running surface for the wheels of the rolling stock is made continuous and without break. i

: When also the rails used are alternately made with the raised and low ledges D, the

versel throughv their stems B, and positione near each rail end. The holes in the end through which the bolts pass may be slotted in'the usual way to allow for the expansion and contraction of the rails, and for the same purpose, a small space will be left between the adjacent ends of the overlapping halves as at F in Figure 2, where howeverthe relative space allowed is somewhat exag erated.

0 stay the two stemsof the overlapped rails against distortion through the screwing of the bolts E, and to keep both parts of the joint plumb, a distance piece G (Figure 4) may be formed on the inside face of the rail stem, near its end, and which piece then engages the stem of the overlapped rail and keeps them uniformly plumb.

It will be seen that a track made up of these rails may be laid, each lineof the track being formed by rails disposed. so that the rails have their flanges C alternately on the outside and inside, and the ledges D alternately raised and low, and the rails are arrangedto overlap each other in turn for t,

half t eir length.

'We claim Y 1. A railway rail having a head and a stem, said-head being shaped to taper from a maximumwidth at the middle of the rail, outwardly to a minimum width at each end thereof, and having'distance pieces formed on the insidefaCe of the stem thereof.

2;. A railway rail having a head and a stem, said head being shaped to taper from a maximum width at the middle of'the rail, outwardly to a minimum width at each end thereof, and having a distance piece'formed on the inside face of the stem near each "end ofthe rail. 1 1 p V i 3, A railway. rail having a head and a bottom flange, said head being shapedto taper from a maximum width at the'middle of the rail outwardly to a'minlimum width at each end. thereof, the upper surfaceof the head at each end of the rail being tapered downwardjlg toward said flange.

4. railway rail having a head and a stem, said head being shaped to taper laterally from a maximum width'at the middle of the rail outwardly to a minimum width at each end thereof, and having a base flange on one side and a ledge projecting laterally 7 from the other side at a level above that of the flange, and upon the side of the rail corresponding to that upon which'the head edge is laterally tapered.

5. A railway line constructed of a plurality of rails formed as in claim 1, certain of said rails having a base flange on one of said rails having a base flange on one side, and a ledge projecting-laterally-from the side, corresponding to that upon which" the head edge is laterally tapered, at a level above that of the flange, and'others of said rails having a base flange-on one side'anda ledge projecting laterally from the other side at the same level as said flange, said rails being arranged relatively so that each rail overlaps the next rail for half its length,

and having the laterally tapered portions ofv their respective heads in contact, and having their respective ledges overlapping along the transverse direction of the rails.

tures.

' JOHN PICARD- In testimony whereof we affix our signs.

FREDERICK CLIFTON MoLEAN. 

